Is KSP playable on a MacbookPro with extra Nvidia GT 650M ?

[Paul Cobbaut]

Hello,

 

I have a MacbookPro11,2 with Iris 5200 graphics (no extra video card!). Ever since KSP 1.2 the game is unplayable; for example huge framerate drop on Duna http://bugs.kerbalspaceprogram.com/issues/13480

Question: Is the game playable on a MacbookPro10,2 with Nvidia GeForce GT 650M ? And should I use MacOSX or Linux then ?

 

thanks.

 

edit: technical info on these macbooks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacBook_Pro#Third_generation

Edited May 19, 2017 by Paul Cobbaut

[DrLicor]

Yes it is. KSP mostly uses CPU and RAM. At least, the stock version should run flawless for you. 
When making ships with a high partcount, it will get a bit cranky because it isn't the strongest CPU you have there,
Adding visual mods can be a problem, because those do use your GPU. 
But if you're going to invest in a macbook pro, I suggest you buy something else than apple. You can get much more for that money that's going to run much more things much more smoother.  

Edited May 19, 2017 by DrLicor

[steve_v]

It should be, the hardware is not great, but it's enough for KSP at reasonable part counts.
If you're getting unexpectedly severe framerate drops in certain situations, it's most likely a GPU driver issue. There are known issues with older Intel drivers.
The 650M should outperform same-era integrated Intel GPUs, and there aren't any known issues with current Nvidia drivers. Then again, Mac drivers tend to be horribly out of date, so YMMV.

I'll second the "don't buy another Mac" advice too, you'll get better bang-for-buck and more choice with generic hardware. If you really want MacOS, you can always run a dual-boot hackintosh.

Edited May 20, 2017 by steve_v